What if a sudden health crisis forced you to shut down your business, quit your job, and move in with your parents… while still raising two young kids?
That was Lucy (ex-criminal lawyer) and Reefe’s (electrician) reality.
When illness struck and Doctors couldn’t figure out what’s wrong, they had to walk away from their solar business and move back in with family just to get by.
But within 12 months, they turned it all around.
They relaunched the solar business. Instead of doing everything themselves, they now have three contractor teams handling the work while they run things from home.
So how did they turn one of the darkest chapters of their life into a business that gives them financial and time freedom?
That’s what you’ll hear in this brand-new interview. Click below to watch it now.
In the McLaren Vale region of South Australia, nestled between pristine beaches and world-class vineyards, Lucy and Reefe have created what many would consider the ultimate lifestyle business. They tag-team childcare duties with their two young boys, allowing each other focused work time while maintaining a presence in their children’s lives. Reefe even finds time to take the kids surfing on a regular basis.
But just twelve months ago, their reality was dramatically different. A sudden health crisis forced them to close their thriving solar installation business, leaving them without income and facing a deeply uncertain future.
Their remarkable transformation didn’t happen by accident. It’s a powerful story of resilience, adaptation, and how the right digital skills can become the ultimate insurance policy for life’s unexpected challenges.
Lucy Went from a Successful Lawyer to a Devastating Health Diagnosis
Before the health crisis, Lucy and Reefe were typical hardworking small business owners. Lucy, a former lawyer, was on maternity leave with their two young sons while Reefe ran their solar installation company with a team of three employees.
“We had a multimillion-dollar company. We thought we’d have a nice comfortable retirement when the time comes. We had our path all worked out.”
That carefully plotted journey came to an abrupt halt in February 2022 when Lucy suddenly fell ill. What followed was a frightening and frustrating medical mystery as doctors struggled to provide clear answers.
“I was pretty unwell – it’s hard to explain. We were in and out of hospital, quite unpredictable. I would just lose consciousness, lost a lot of weight, and it was just so sudden,” Lucy recalls.
She was eventually diagnosed with nerve damage, with doctors unable to explain the cause and prescribing medication for life.
For Reefe, the situation became increasingly difficult to manage. “It was really tough, especially with the two young boys at home,” he shares. “You just wouldn’t know if you were going to get a phone call that day to be like, ‘you need to come home now because I’m unwell,’ or whether you’d be able to complete the work for that day.”
The financial strain quickly became unsustainable. Every time Reefe needed to leave work to care for Lucy, jobs couldn’t be completed, yet they still had to pay their employees. The uncertainty and mounting challenges forced them to make a heartbreaking decision.
Lucy & Reefe Were Unable to Continue Running their Solar Business…
After pouring their hearts and souls into building their solar business, Lucy and Reefe faced the grim reality that they couldn’t continue. With Lucy’s health deteriorating and Reefe unable to maintain the business while being her primary caregiver, they made the difficult decision to shut down their successful startup.
“It was a very scary time,” Reefe admits. It’s hard to make those big decisions. Often you don’t make those decisions until you’re forced to. And at the time, there was really no other option.”
They Had to Make Financial Sacrifices to Keep Supporting their Family
They moved in with Lucy’s in-laws and began selling assets to stay afloat. With no clear income path and two young children to support, their situation appeared dire. Yet something unexpected happened during this darkest period – a sense of emotional calm despite their financial predicament.
“Through that darkness came a shift. Even when we were at our financial lowest with young kids and no clear income, we somehow felt less anxious than ever before.”
This paradoxical feeling stemmed from a new direction they were beginning to explore – one that would ultimately transform their lives.
…Until They Realised the Power of Learning Digital Skills from Home
The seeds of their transformation were planted before Lucy’s illness. Reefe had long recognized that their marketing approach needed improvement. They were spending approximately $3,000 monthly on marketing services but were frustrated with the generic content and questionable value they received.
“Being in the solar industry, it’s a very interesting space. It’s highly competitive,” Lucy explains. “The marketing can feel quite almost untrustworthy, almost a bit car sales-y.”
They found themselves constantly rewriting content from marketing companies to better reflect Reefe’s genuine expertise and approach to solar installation.
“Reefe just has this amazing knowledge about solar. I’d listen to him on the phone talking to a client and I’d say, ‘that’s exactly the type of information we want to be sharing with our community.'”
Redirecting their Online Digital Marketing Budget into Learning How to Do It Better Themselves
A chance meeting with another couple – Chris and Bec, who were Champions in the eBusiness Institute program and own their own 6-figure travel blog – opened their eyes to the possibility of developing these skills themselves.
During Lucy’s illness, when she was resting and healing, they decided to redirect their marketing budget toward digital skills education.
“I needed some way to contribute and feel that sense of purpose. We were paying about $3,000 a month for our marketing at the time. So, we thought, ‘let’s just switch over. Let’s invest that money into learning the digital skills to do it ourselves.'”
Lucy & Reefe Saw Incredible Online Results from Using Their New Digital Skills
Despite their challenging circumstances, Lucy and Reefe embraced this new learning opportunity. Lucy, despite her legal background being far removed from digital marketing, discovered she had both an aptitude and passion for these new skills.
“I think within like one or two lectures, we had completely redesigned our own solar website,” Lucy recalls with excitement.
“We were filled with so much excitement that we really did feel this sense of, ‘wow, this is such a terrifying time, but we felt this sense of control with the finances.'”
…And Decided to Relaunch their Solar Business with A New Approach
While they weren’t actively running their business, they used their solar website as a testing ground for everything they were learning. They implemented each new concept immediately, creating content that showcased Reefe’s expertise and redesigning their website to better connect with ideal customers.
The results were remarkable. “The website gained 150% increase in traffic,” Lucy notes. When they consulted with their coach Calem – who used his digital skills to replace his high-paying corporate income – he confirmed they were on the right track.
“He ran through the metrics and said, ‘you’re actually doing really well!” Reefe adds.
This progress gave them the confidence to consider a bold next step – relaunching their solar business, but with a fundamentally different approach.
Reefe Reinvented His Business Model from Working in the Business to Becoming a Strategic Leader
Toward the end of 2022, Lucy and Reefe made the decision to slowly reopen their business, but with a crucial difference. Instead of Reefe working “on the tools” as an installer, they would leverage his network to bring on subcontractors to complete the physical work.
“We decided to use that network to bring on subcontractors to start completing our work. And then all of a sudden I’ve got 40-50 hours a week to work on the business, bring more work in, look after the kids, and help Lucy out.”
This strategic shift created what Reefe describes as a “flywheel effect” – with more time to focus on business development and digital marketing, they could generate better quality leads, secure more jobs, and scale operations without the physical limitations of Reefe’s personal installation capacity.
“It creates this exponential growth that you otherwise would never have had access to,” he explains.
…Allowing Them to Grow Their Business AND Gain a Better Lifestyle
Their new model represents a complete transformation of their business. Rather than chasing low-quality leads and physically installing solar systems, they now focus on generating high-quality inbound leads through their website, selling systems, and engaging contractors to complete the installations.
“When we first relaunched the business, we were very much just like, ‘oh, we’ll just give it a go. We’ll just see if this can sustain us,'” Lucy explains. “And straight away, it just transformed how we could live our life.”
They Now Have the Ultimate Lifestyle Business
Today, as Lucy’s health continues to improve, they’ve created a lifestyle business that prioritizes family, health, and flexibility. Their business model allows them to manage their work around their family needs rather than the other way around.
“Now we kind of tag team,” Lucy explains. “I’ll do some work in the morning because we’re running a Local Digital Agency in McLaren Vale, as well now to support other businesses in the area online. So, I’ll work in the morning, Reefe will take the kids to the beach, then he comes back, I’ll take the kids in the afternoon, Reefe does some work.”
…And Can Spend Quality Time with the Kids
This arrangement has transformed their relationship as well. Before, Reefe would be “out the door first thing in the morning, get home late at night,” as Lucy describes. “We felt like passing ships as a couple.”
Now, they share parenting responsibilities equally and have time to enjoy their beautiful McLaren Vale location. As they were recording the interview at 10:30 in the morning, Reefe casually mentioned they had “three teams on site today” completing installations, while he was free to focus on business development and family time.
“It’s always what I’d hoped for,” Reefe reflects. “If we go back 12 months, even before Lucy got sick, we were thinking, ‘how do you get from there to here?’ It seemed like such a difficult process. But then when you’re forced to change, it just happens… the change process was not actually that painful.”
How They Used Their Digital Skills & Passion to Help Other Local Businesses Success Online
Their journey has opened even more doors. Beyond running their revitalized solar business, Lucy and Reefe have launched a digital agency to help other businesses improve their online presence – with a particular understanding of the challenges faced by solar installation companies.
“Experiencing that frustration ourselves in the solar industry and trying to find the right people to work with, to set you apart in such a competitive industry was so challenging,” Lucy explains. “We just spent so much time, even before I got sick, trying to figure out how to get Reefe off the tools, because it just wasn’t a sustainable lifestyle.”
Now they’re uniquely positioned to help other solar companies achieve similar transformations.
As business owners who have lived the challenges of the industry firsthand, they bring authentic expertise to their digital marketing services.
Their location in McLaren Vale, a small wine region outside Adelaide, is no barrier to success. Through digital tools and Zoom meetings, they can serve clients throughout Australia while maintaining their ideal lifestyle near the beach.
Lessons Learned from Lucy & Reefe’s Business Transformation
Lucy and Reefe’s business journey offers powerful lessons for anyone facing personal challenges or seeking greater freedom in their business:
Lesson 1: Learning Digital Skills are Invaluable
First, digital skills can be your ultimate insurance policy. When life’s unexpected challenges arise, having marketable digital skills provides flexibility and options that traditional businesses often lack.
Lesson 2: Invest in your Education
Second, education is one of the most valuable investments you can make.
“We’ve always been the type of people that love learning, that love education. It’s just such a valuable investment.”
This mindset allowed them to see opportunity amid crisis.
Lesson 3: Personal Challenges can Create Opportunity & Growth
Third, sometimes being forced to change reveals better paths forward. As Reefe notes, “Unless you’re forced to change, you really don’t.” Their health crisis compelled them to reimagine their business and discover a model that provides more freedom and fulfillment than they had before.
Lesson 4: Lean on your Personal Skills & Expertise
Finally, success often comes from authenticity and expertise. Their digital marketing succeeds because it showcases Reefe’s genuine solar knowledge, creating content that builds trust rather than relying on generic approaches.
“All our friends told us we were crazy to be having this blind faith and taking the jump. But the skills that we’ve learned have transformed how we could live our life.”
What Changes Can You Create for Your Life in the Next 12 Months?
Lucy & Reefe’s journey from crisis to freedom wasn’t easy, but it demonstrates how digital skills, resilience, and the willingness to reimagine your business can create opportunities even in the most challenging circumstances.
In just twelve months, they’ve built what many would consider the ultimate lifestyle business – one that provides financial security while prioritizing health, family, and quality of life.
For Lucy and Reefe, what began as a devastating health crisis has become the catalyst for a business and lifestyle more aligned with their true priorities than they ever thought possible. If you want to learn the skills that they used to create this incredible change, sign up for our Free Website Buying Masterclass today.
